The Final Calibur, Redux
by Vergil1989 the Crossover King
Summary: The tale of souls and swords eternally retold has a new chapter to the legendary story that has spanned the eons. Warriors from new worlds have been pulled into this one to aid the warriors in their quest to gain the power necessary to destroy the evil blade, Soul Edge. With new obstacles and challenges in their way, will they be able to succeed or will chaos rule over the world?


_A/N The king of the crossovers is about to strike again. ;D I'm having muse issues with a few of my other stories, that and while I'm waiting on a friend to beta read some of my stuff, I thought I'd get something else going in the meantime._

_Rated M for the usual stuff including strong violence, blood and gore, language, and sexual content.. Yuri and straight pairings a possibility. Viewing discretion is advised. ;D_

_As a side note, any Final Fantasy characters that make an appearance has already finished their respective stories so spoilers are possible. Fair warning if you haven't beaten any of the games I use for this. I've played FF 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and half of 13 as well as some of their console spinoffs. The ones I'm likely to use will be 7-12 for that very reason since I know the most about them._

_As for Soul Calibur, I've played 2-4 but I'm the most familiar with 2 and 3, and none of the spinoffs so again any of the characters I'm the most familiar with will be making appearances as well. So, let the story begin!_

_This is actually a redo since the first go around sounded good at the time but then I got to looking it over and it was entirely too rushed, so this time I plan to slow things down considerably and try to take my time with this, as well as limit the number of FF characters I throw into the mix. And if it wasn't clear already, this is AU from what's written in the SC profiles for the characters given the interference of FF so if you don't like AU, then don't read. Anyway, HOPEFULLY this time will turn out better but we'll see._

_**Disclaimer; **__I own nothing from either Soul Calibur or Final Fantasy. I am just a humble visitor to both, and as such am making no money from this work of pure fanfiction fun. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Ch 1. Materia and Kodachis…**

**Kaminio Castle – Sakura-Dai Gate.**

She was not feeling so good. She didn't know how she had gotten here, only that a bright white light had engulfed her and a blue shard of metal had embedded itself in her chest before every nerve in her body had exploded in pain. She was weak and disoriented, but both feelings were fading as she slowly sat up, wincing as aftershocks from whatever had hit her like a lightning blast pulsed through her nervous system. Putting a hand to her right temple, the young woman groaned but jerked when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, you're still in need of rest. Lay back, you'll feel better soon."

Her vision was still too blurry to make sense of anything around her in detail, but she was sure that another woman was standing by her side and was trying to push her back onto…whatever she had been laying on a moment ago. The sound of a small crackling fire nearby was just audible behind a thick backdrop of howling wind outside. Besides the occasional cold draft that hit her underneath the thick woolen blanket she was under, she was pretty comfortable besides whatever had hit her. Reluctantly she let the other woman help her back down onto her back, only then realizing she had been divested of her clothing.

Seeing the puzzled expression on her face, her caretaker blushed and looked away, having dealt with injuries before but normally the few times she had had to tend to another person they hadn't had as extensive damage that required her to strip them down to the skin they had been born into. She had only had to do it once before, for a Greek swordswoman who had found a way to destroy the very sword that had haunted the world for untold eons, at least she had destroyed most of it anyway. The price however had been many pieces of that same sword becoming embedded in her chest and the ninja had had to remove them to save more than her body, but her untainted soul as well.

The injured woman did as she was told and while the ninja could see that her patient was still confused at least she was semi-aware of her surroundings, at least for the moment. "You're lucky. If it had gone any deeper or had stayed in your chest for much longer, you might not be breathing air since it had been working its way towards your heart. It was a piece of the holy sword, Soul Calibur. I had to get it out of you lest you wanted to join countless others in the afterlife."

"Soul…Calibur?" Her patient asked, having no idea what she was talking about and the ninja looked away again, this time from something else entirely. The ninja looked back in a hurry though and knelt by her patient's side as painful coughs overtook her, a few drops of blood escaping her mouth before she seemed to settle once more into a semi-peaceful sleep.

"Rest now, the answers are coming." Still kneeling by the woman's form, the ninja looked outside to the storm that still raged outside the castle walls she had taken her charge to, curious to know how a piece of Soul Calibur had found its way where it had at all. Something was definitely different about the reincarnation that was common for both blades since as far as the ninja knew, neither had ever pulled warriors from other realms, other worlds before, but that was the only explanation that fit given the magical disturbance she had seen two days after the latest attempt on her life by her former master's minions.

Gently rolling the woman onto her back once more, the ninja sighed heavily and pulled a few stray black hairs away from her charge's face, having seen her unusually colored red eyes when she had stirred moments ago. It had become quickly apparent that this woman that the ninja had found in the snow outside of Kaiminio Castle's walls was not a native to this world by the state of her clothes alone. Besides the ragged tear where the piece of Soul Calibur had embedded itself in her chest, her strange black vest and white shirt underneath had been undamaged, threaded with at least a dozen glowing orbs of some sort in an assortment of rainbow colors. The woman's matching black pants, boots, and gloves had similar orbs as well.

It was the pink ribbon tied to the woman's right arm that made the ninja the most curious, but the orbs were of a more pressing concern as she reached her hand out to take one out of the woman's clothing in the hopes of trying to figure out what they were and their purpose.

When the ninja had picked one of the green orbs off of the zip up jacket, she had felt a strange power emanate from the orb.

She had quickly dropped the orb out of shock but the fall hadn't damaged it at all; it had simply rolled away but the ninja had caught up with it and put it back where she had found it, figuring that whoever this woman was, she'd get her answers as soon as her patient was in better shape. It had only been a few hours since she had found the mysterious stranger, there would be time enough to figure out who she was later.

_I just hope Toki doesn't send more of his men to find me before then._ The ninja thought to herself before looking to one of the few windows that were in the guard tower she had taken temporary residence within for the storm. She had several places that were easily defended against intruders throughout the castle grounds, but the high ground she favored, especially with a sick woman to take care of. It offered avenues of escape few could hope to use without her particular set of skills. Not to mention but simply possessing the high ground gave many tactical advantages as well when it came to fighting.

_An uncontrolled fall from a high enough point will in most cases ensure a quick death. _Another of her master's lessons, and one well remembered since a few of her recent attackers had suffered similar fates before the ninja had ended their suffering with her other cases it would leave the fall victim with enough injuries to make pursuit impossible, at least for a time. It worked both ways of course, but the ninja knew her limits and always had a plan and a backup plan. For everything else, a quick and steady mind and the mistakes made by an opponent or captor always presented opportunities of their own.

Her wandering thoughts drew her back to what had brought her here. It had started with the evil sword, as had everything leading up to her current situation. Her master becoming possessed by evil power from that same blade which took the form of a powerful demon, as well as the subsequent takeover of the clan she had once been a part of. She'd never consider surrender, not so long as the ninja was able to draw breath and was able to make a difference by putting to rest every demon infested warrior of her clan to free them from their eternal torment.

The attack two days ago had been easily pushed back and the ninja had left no survivors to report their findings to her former master, but she was certain that word would still find its way to Toki anyway since there was always at least one operative that would report either success or failure if the attacking squad didn't report back in a timely manner. The ninja had served as messenger once or twice in the early days of her training, so she knew how it worked. Eventually this place would not be safe and they'd have to move.

As much as she wanted to leave this stranger to her fate, the ninja was not about to do so since her adventure with a blonde haired Greek warrior woman and many of her friends. Sophitia and Cassandra Alexandra, Kilik, Sueng Mina, Xiunghua; all of them had had a positive impact on her life and as much as she favored working alone, the ninja smiled at the memories of their time together despite the predicament she was in now. With those memories going through her mind, the ninja remained by her charge's side through the night, even when she felt sleep overcome her and the ninja knew no more until the next morning.

Waking slowly that morning, she noticed something was different as she moved her fingers and toes, finding that whatever weakness had overcome her yesterday was much better. Trying something a little more, the young martial artist looked to her right and saw that her vision had returned and she was able to properly see who had potentially saved her life. Rubbing the sleep from her red eyes, the young woman blinked and at first thought she must still be pretty out of it since for a second there she had thought she had seen someone else sitting beside her.

_Yeah…perhaps if Yuffie actually took her job as being a ninja seriously and she was a few years older, she might have bore some resemblance to this woman…whoever she is. _She thought to herself as she noticed that her savior had since stirred and was looking right at her. "Oh…"

"You're awake, good." Having fallen asleep against the wall beside the futon she had laid out for her charge, the ninja stood and made the short trip to their respective packs and brought out a watertight brown bag of water, taking a sip first before offering the canteen to her charge. "Drink up. You've been out for the better part of the day."

"Thanks." She was still a little too weak to sit up without some assistance, but the martial artist wasn't about to complain as she took a long and quick drink from the canteen, coughing as she felt some of the cold liquid go down the wrong pipe. Still, she felt a little better when she was able to breathe normally again, feeling a little embarrassed by her foolishness. "Who…ugh…who are you?"

"Taki, formerly of the Fu-Ma ninja clan." Taki replied in that no nonsense tone of hers that would quickly become something the martial artist would associate only with her. Those hazel brown eyes and that skintight blue body suit, the shoulders down to her elbows covered in metal armor, and the matching pair of armored leg pieces that went down to the start of her feet would also be a sight she'd only be able to match with her. "Who are you?" Taki asked as she took back the canteen and sealed it tight with the cork that had come with it, tied to the neck of the bottle so it wouldn't become lost.

"Tifa Lockhart, I guess you could say I was once a member of a resistance group called AVALANCHE." Taki nodded, glad to see that her memory seemed to be intact at least although she had never heard of this group that Tifa made mention of. On the other hand she hadn't seen such well crafted clothing either that obviously weren't meant for defense as was her demon protection armor, but during her initial examination of Tifa's injuries, Taki had come to the conclusion that she was not just a young woman. Her body had the look of one heavily trained in some form of martial arts.

"Do you think you'll be able to travel soon? We can't stay here for long, and I have many questions." Taki asked, hating to rush Tifa's recovery but she didn't want to stay in the castle any longer than was absolutely necessary either, the storm having long since ceased. Another good reason that she had chosen the high ground since the snow drifts outside were big enough to make using the gates…problematic at best.

"I think so. I have questions as well but if we're in danger then we can answer each other's questions on the road." Tifa groaned as she pulled the blanket up with her, wrapping it around herself as a kind of makeshift towel. She couldn't take it with her though since it became apparent that the cover was part of the futon itself, meaning she'd be dragging the whole thing with her. "Crap, haven't used a futon in so long I forgot that part. Uh…."

Taki couldn't suppress a small chuckle at Tifa's puzzlement as she went to their bags and was able to quickly find a spare set of the woman's old outfit. "Here. Do you require privacy?" She asked, figuring that it was a little late to worry about it since Taki had seen every inch of Tifa's body already, but that had been while she had been out of commission and necessity had dictated she examine her fully anyway.

"Guess it's a little late since you did take care of my injuries, but yeah if you don't mind." Taki nodded and jumped to one of the windows in the tower before pulling herself to the roof before Tifa could say anything more. Blinking her red eyes a few times in surprise, she just shook her head and got dressed as quickly as possible. _It's a little cold out for this outfit but it's all I got. If I had known I'd end up…wherever I did I'd have packed for winter. _Tifa thought to herself with little humor as she finished zipping up her black leather jacket which left her midriff bare, pulling on her matching black leather gloves before going to her ruined outfit that was still full of her Materia Orbs.

"I wanted to ask you about those orbs." Taki said from right behind the martial artist, making Tifa jump as she turned fast on her heel, having heard nothing of the other woman's approach. Taki had jumped back and had felt her hands go for her two kodachi blades out of instinct but both women relaxed after a moment of recognition. "I apologize for startling you."

"I forgot how silent ninja could be. I have a friend like you although I don't think you'd like her much since she's a little too cheerful for some people to handle." Images of Yuffie's smiling face came to Tifa's mind and she couldn't help but once again see the two ninja standing side by side for a second before shaking the image off. Taki looked a bit puzzled by Tifa's lost expression but it was quickly replaced as the ninja watched her face become marked with deep concentration as she started to pull the glowing orbs out of her old outfit and put them into her new one.

Feeling Taki's eyes still on her, Tifa mentally slapped herself for forgetting the woman's unspoken question. "Oh yeah, sorry. It's been a while that I've had to explain what Materia Orbs are to anyone. The short version is that they are condensed magic, allowing the wielder to use a multitude of abilities, magical and otherwise. Some allow you to heal injury and poisons, while others allow you to use abilities learned from enemies in my world, while some allow you to power yourself or your allies up with a number of different effects."

"They offer you supernatural abilities without any proper training you mean." Taki was quick to retort, finding them a cheap way to gain power for those that didn't deserve it.

"For some that would be true, but with power comes responsibility, a lesson that I learned a long time ago." Taki knew it wasn't at herself those words had been directed at, but rather from her experiences which had brought her to where she was now. Her respect for the young martial artist grew since Taki could see that Tifa wasn't one of those that would abuse whatever power she possessed in whatever form it came in.

"Perhaps I was too quick with my words then if you show restraint, but actions speak far louder. For now let us drop the subject. As I asked before, do you think you can travel?" Taki asked as she crossed her arms under her chest, wanting to be gone as quickly as possible but she'd give Tifa another day if she felt she needed it.

Tifa wasn't about to say it but she still felt weak enough that another day wouldn't have been such a bad thing, but it was clear in their brief exchange that Taki was in some kind of trouble and that being on the move was the only safe bet of their continued existence. Since she had saved Tifa's life, she wasn't about to slow Taki down if she could help it. "I think so." Tifa replied, but Taki narrowed her eyes at her and she had to wonder if her attempt to put on a strong front had been seen through.

"I'm no fool Tifa. As much as I want to leave this place behind, I can tell that you are still not quite ready to travel despite your assurance to the contrary. We'll leave at dawn." Tifa wanted to argue but she was certain Taki wouldn't hesitate to subdue her if it meant her cooperation. "I didn't patch you up to see you fall on the side of the road later."

Tifa looked away shyly for a moment but turned back and offered a small smile in thanks. "Guess arguing with you would be pointless. It's ok; I just had hoped that maybe we could get out of here before whoever was after you found you again." Taki jerked her gaze back to Tifa who had since sat down against the wall, in about the same spot Taki had occupied earlier. "You saved my life so I doubt you're a bad person, doesn't mean it's not possible just I find it unlikely since you stopped in your travels to help me, so I have to assume whoever's after you isn't someone that is chasing a wanted fugitive or something."

"You catch on quickly." Taki replied as she stood in front of Tifa, having relaxed a little as she let her arms fall to her sides. "Yes, I'm on the run from my former master who's become possessed by a very powerful demonic force. It's a very long story, as I suspect yours is as well Tifa. If you decide to stay with me and we come to trust each other, I'll share what I deem safe."

"That sounds like a reasonable trade to me, Taki." Tifa replied, again catching onto the fact that Taki didn't want to reveal too much lest she ended up getting her friends caught in the crossfire if she was ever captured and tortured for information. "I thought I'd be done with fighting, but it seems you need help as well. If I can be of any assistance, I'll do what I can Taki."

"Why do you offer your aid so quickly?" Taki asked after a moment of consideration as she sat down and folded her legs up underneath her in front of Tifa. "I might have saved your life but you know nothing about me and yet you offer your help, why?" It wasn't asked in an insulting manner, Taki was just curious more than anything.

"My fight is over so I have no real reason to hurry home except to rejoin my friends and family. As long as they stay together, there's nothing they can't face. I worry about them sure but as long as I'm here, I can't just sit on the sidelines." Tifa replied in all seriousness, earning a silent nod of understanding from the ninja before her.

"You want to help and arguing with you would be pointless." Tifa and Taki shared a smile at that since it about summed up everything she had said a moment ago. A bout of silence fell between them afterward however as the wind howled through the secluded mountain fortress, just audible to the two women the only sound either of them heard until Tifa spoke once more.

"So, what's Soul Calibur?" She figured that it was as good a place as any, rubbing at her chest which had a bandage wrapped around it still from where the metal shard had been in her as a tingle passed through her body at the mere mention of it. Taki looked closely at the way Tifa seemed to shiver when she even mentioned the sword's name, hoping it wasn't a sign of trouble to come.

"There are many stories involving two ancient weapons that counter each other, that have existed for ages untold. One is Soul Calibur, while the other is called Soul Edge. Soul Calibur is a holy weapon, as far as I've been able to figure out from my travels, the only weapon capable of completely neutralizing Soul Edge for any length of time. Besides the legends and myths surrounding the two swords, not much more than that is known about either of them." Taki had searched for any information on the weapon since her troubles started when it had been discovered to have an ill effect on her own weapons, as well as those it came into contact with, either in its whole form or the shards that were scattered about the world.

"It's the first I've heard of either besides when you mentioned pulling a shard of Soul Calibur out of my chest." Tifa replied, this time able to say the name without feeling another tingle as she looked up at the stone ceiling in thought. "Well, no use worrying about it now, the question remains what do you intend to do with the shard you possess?"

"I've tried to fuse one of these before when I came across one of Soul Edge's shards. It reacted to one of my kodachi blades, making it weaker, while it made my tainted blade stronger. That's…part of the problem I've had since becoming a hunted woman because of my former master's insanity." Tifa only nodded this time when Taki looked away, sighing heavily since while she'd do anything to make sure her blade didn't fall into enemy hands, she did grow tired of always running at times.

"So you're a blacksmith as well as a ninja? Useful talents to have I imagine. So you're a demon huntress ninja on the run because of this evil Soul Edge sword you've mentioned. If I didn't come from a world where monsters, magic, and ancient beings of immense power are common, I'd find it hard to believe." Tifa shrugged since she didn't find it hard to believe at all. This world sounded just like hers in some regards, and Tifa was determined to help the ninja if at all possible since she had some experience with this kind of thing.

Taki found no trace of a mocking tone in Tifa's voice and was even more curious about her world, but the sound of the martial artist's stomach growling distracted them both. She couldn't help a small smile as she stood and went to their bags, finding some trail rations as well as a couple of rice balls she had forgotten about, wrapped in herbal leaves so they would retain their freshness. A close examination showed that they were still good and handed two of the four rice balls over to Tifa as well as three of the dozen ration strips she had before putting the rest away for later. "Thanks."

"It is no problem Tifa. We're only a week away from the nearest town and I can hunt for the both of us if the need arises." Tifa nodded as she took a bite out of the rice ball, unable to suppress a moan of pleasure at the taste that hit her mouth, earning a smile from the ninja as she too settled down for a late breakfast with her new companion. While they ate in silence, it was a comfortable one this time as the other wandered in their respective thoughts. Tifa couldn't help but think of home as well as whatever awaited her down the road now that she was part of.

It had to be easier than facing a crazed super SOLDIER who had been hell bent on destroying the world for his own twisted ends. Oh how wrong she was going to be later.

* * *

**Leaving Kamino Castle…**

Their plan to leave at dawn was well worth the wait since Tifa felt far better that morning than she had just yesterday. Taki and her hadn't really talked much besides that chat over breakfast, but it had still felt nice having someone new to get to know even briefly as she had so far. Hopefully now that she was on her feet and they were on the road, the ninja would open up more, but time would tell as would any future confrontations they would surely have with her former allies. Tifa hoped it wouldn't come to blows but from what little she had heard from the ninja already about her former clan that it would be very unlikely that any meeting with the Fu-Ma would end in peace.

_More like pieces._ Tifa thought to herself, having seen what was left of a few of the assassins sent after Taki on their way out of the castle grounds. One thing was certain, she was glad she had not been one of Taki's enemies since it became quickly apparent that the ninja was very dangerous with her kodachi blades. Still, Tifa felt safe around her for that same reason, and she could handle herself in a fight just as well. There was no way that she'd let Taki go at this alone.

"Tell me about your world." Tifa jerked her head towards the woman ahead of her, surprised by her sudden interest as they made their slow way off the mountain, leaving the partially snow covered castle behind them since the going was rough given the recent snow storm. Patches of hip deep snow, ice layers hidden underneath, and the cliff that awaited the unlucky should the worst happen and they slip up. Snow blindness was also going to be a problem but luckily, Tifa knew her way around snow covered regions during her travels across her own planet during the war against Shinra and Sephiroth.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Tifa asked, wondering if Taki had a particular topic in mind or was just wondering what came to mind first for the martial artist behind her.

"Why did you join the resistance group, this AVALANCHE you spoke of?" Tifa stopped only for a moment yet Taki noticed it as she didn't hear her companion's footsteps behind her in that time frame. "Is that…too personal?"

"It's…close enough, but I've had years to get over it. Besides, you saved my life so I feel I owe you some explanation. You might not understand all of it since my world is far more technologically advanced than yours I'm guessing, so I'll try to make my story as simple as possible when it's appropriate." Taki nodded as they continued onward, Tifa looking up to the sky for a moment which was slightly covered in overcast but otherwise the sun was at least shining. It wasn't providing much in the way of warmth but at least it was there.

"I knew a guy when I was young. We grew up together, were overall good friends, but he wanted to become a soldier for Shinra, wanted to be the best there was. That special elite class was called SOLDIER, a special branch of Shinra's military force that required any participants be exposed to a special energy called Mako. There was more to it than that and not all of these SOLDIER applicants survived the process since it involved…some rather dark stuff to accomplish." Genetic experimentation was just the tip of the iceberg, all at the hands of mad scientists, specifically Doctor Hojo, who was the worst of the lot by Tifa's estimates. The madman had made Sephiroth, experimented on Vincent Valentine, Red XIII, and even Aerith's mother.

Even when they thought they had finished him off, Doctor Hojo had returned and had used Deepground, another one of Shinra's dirty secrets, to try to destroy their world and merge himself with one of the planet's Weapons, living defense platforms that the planet itself created in times of dire need. If he had been successful, Hojo would have become a living god in a way, taking every drop of the Lifestream with him where he would find a new planet and start over. All that came later however as Tifa focused more on how it started.

"SOLDIER weren't the good guys as people were led to believe Taki. Shinra all but bred an army of super soldiers for the sole purpose of crushing anyone that got in their way. Even before I found out about all this I never did like Shinra just because they were always getting in the way, always finding ways to make life difficult for honest people who didn't fall in line with their ideals. A company that had as much power as they did, it just never sat well with me but until my hometown was burned to the ground I wasn't all that concerned with the problem they posed either."

Taki stopped that time, surprised to hear Tifa's home had been destroyed. She shouldn't have been surprised perhaps but it still shocked her none the less. "Why? Why would they do it?"

"Technically it wasn't Shinra or their SOLDIERs that did the deed…but it might as well have been." Tifa replied, sighing heavily since she could still see Nibelheim being consumed by flames, could still smell the smoke and hear the screams as her friends, family, and loved ones died. "I had been fifteen at the time. My friend I didn't know at the time had been there throughout the whole experience, and he put a stop to the ones responsible but at great cost to himself in the process. That's a whole other story though… If you want to know who was most responsible, his name was Sephiroth. He has the nickname of being the One Winged Angel, but he's a devil, a demon if you'd prefer."

Taki noted that Tifa's gloved hands were clenched into tight fists as she recalled her tragic past, and wondered just what had happened in detail. She'd let Tifa tell her story as she wished when she wished though, knowing that no matter how long ago it was, something like what had happened to her didn't go away easily, if it ever did. "You don't have to continue if you'd rather not Tifa."

"No…I need to. It's been several years since those days but I…honestly haven't had a chance to share this with anyone that didn't already know part of the story, so it…almost feels good to get it off my chest." Taki nodded solemnly, smiling briefly at Tifa's willingness to share even a part of her past with a near complete stranger such as herself. Having saved her life as she had, Tifa most likely thought that she honestly deserved to know but Taki wasn't going to rush her story despite wanting to hear the rest. It was…fascinating and tragic and…she shook her head at the thought that had wanted to complete itself in her mind, not sure where it had come from as she focused on the road ahead of her and Tifa's words alone.

She couldn't afford anymore distractions than that.

"Anyway, Sephiroth was considered the best. He was superhuman even by SOLDIERs' standards. He, another SOLDIER called Zack, and a couple of Shinra's regular troops had come to my hometown to investigate some trouble we had been having with where we drew our power from for our houses and stuff. I was to be their guide to the mountainous region they were to investigate, that's how I got involved. Zack I found was a nice enough guy, kind of reminded me of my childhood friend in a way, but he was part of Shinra's elite so I didn't trust him for that same reason."

"Were you justified in your mistrust?" Taki asked, but Tifa sighed and shook her head since she hadn't been.

"No, and I'd find out years later that Zack had been one of the good guys. He had become SOLDIER 1st class sure but he had been fighting for the right reasons near the end. Anyway, when they went to the power plant, they found out some rather startling secrets about the company they worked for. They had found how SOLDIERs were truly made. That same energy, Mako, that I mentioned earlier? Absorb too much of it and you become a monster."

Taki gasped in shock and Tifa had had much the same reaction. Again there was more to it but that was the gist of it. "They were considered 'failed experiments' in making SOLDIERs what they were and those same people that were no longer people no thanks to Shinra's greed and influence around the world had simply locked up and thrown away the key on them, leaving them to rot in that power plant. I technically wasn't supposed to know that but I went back there and put the pieces together. The rest I found out along the way afterward."

"What happened to this Sephiroth and Zack?" Taki asked as she jumped up onto a low hanging cliff before holding her hand out for Tifa who smirked in response. The ninja was about to insist until her partner followed suit, showing Taki that she was just as capable as she was as the martial artist ran partially up a nearby tree before using it as a springboard and launching herself next to the ninja a moment later. The path had been blocked by a ton of ice and snow, hence the necessity to ascend to higher ground and bypassing the blocked path entirely.

"Sephiroth and Zack both had been made by a similar process into what they were, but Seophiroth was far different from Zack as Zack was to me. He was literally created from the corpses of countless 'failed experiments,' and when he started to put the pieces together, his sanity went out the door. Part of the process involved taking certain…parts from a very old monster called Jenova and infusing them with a SOLDIER candidate before infusing them with Mako. You can always tell the SOLDIERs from the fakes since their eyes shine from the Mako infusion."

"I see." Was Taki's simple reply to what her ally had explained thus far. The science, if it could be even be called science, would have went way over Taki's head but the low tech explanation Tifa had put together made it easy for the ninja to understand. She wasn't sure she was going to like where the rest of Tifa's story was likely to go, and Taki's feelings, her instincts had served her well in the past.

"Anyway, this monster was really old, old enough to have destroyed an entire civilization called the Ancients through the use of her abilities. She infected anyone that came into contact with her, turning them into vicious and violent monsters while Jenova herself was able to copy those the survivors loved according to the research notes we came across. From what I've heard since, she probably did this to a lot of other worlds before coming to ours and before finally being sealed away in a deep crater before she was dug up again. Sephiroth came to believe that Jenova was his 'mother', and in a way, I guess he was right since he had a piece of her inside of his body, giving him his superhuman abilities."

"That's just…crazy doesn't even begin to cover it." Tifa nodded since again they seemed to share a similar opinion. Jumping down once they were clear of the blocked passage, Tifa and Taki continued onward, slowly making their way down the further they went. They had been walking for the better part of three hours and despite assurances to the contrary, Taki could see that Tifa was starting to weaken. Perhaps she wasn't as healed up as she thought.

"Here, we'll stop in that clearing for a while." Tifa looked ready to argue but one look from the ninja silenced her before she could even try to start. "Besides, it'll give us time to talk and eat while we rest." The attempt at soothing her bruised ego worked to some degree and Tifa was in all honesty glad they were stopping for a while. She hadn't had to walk so far in one day since Cloud and the others had taken their fight to Sephiroth where he lived, in a way. All the way to where it had begun to the same crater where Jenova had originally crashed inside her meteor where she had survived the impact just to start her cycle of destruction again.

It was kind of ironic now that Tifa thought about it as Taki pulled out the last of the rice balls and more of the ration strips from yesterday. A small fire was promptly set up but before Taki could try to use her flint and steel, Tifa got to it first as one of her green Materia Orbs glowed briefly before she threw a small Fire spell at the wood pile. Taki raised an eyebrow at the display, still not entirely convinced she liked Tifa's way of starting the fire since it involved her strange magic, but she let it go for now.

"What happened next, Tifa? How did the fire in your hometown begin and how did it end?" Tifa sighed heavily as she looked into the fire between them, forgetting her partially eaten rice ball for the moment as she dredged up the memories. It wasn't easy, but Tifa managed it while Taki listened to every word as intently as she had once listened to Toki before he had gone insane.

"Sephiroth had locked himself away in a mansion that had not seen any visitors for a long time. Everyone in Nibelheim knew it belonged to one of Shinra's scientists and we all stayed away from the place, having always heard horrible stories about people disappearing or dying if they went into the place. It wasn't haunted, but it certainly had its number of skeletons in the closets. It was here that Sephiroth found out the truth of who and what he was. He stayed inside that place for seven days before finally coming out again. He set the fire and mercilessly killed anyone that got in his way."

"Where was he going…surely not back to the power plant?" Taki asked, and got her answer as Tifa nodded. "Why? What was there?"

"Jenova was…." Taki had had a bad feeling that was the case but she had wished it hadn't been given what Tifa had told her about the demonic creature that was Jenova. "I tried to stop him, but I was only 15 and barely into my training in the martial arts while Sephiroth had been a SOLDIER a lot longer. I stood no chance, but rage and the pain of losing so many of my friends and family blinded me. I took him on and was promptly cut down in the power plant. If not for Zack and later I found out my childhood friend being there, I surely would have died and Sephiroth would have unleashed Jenova on the world then and there."

Just talking about that fateful day made the scar where Sephiroth's sword had cut into her ache, and Tifa put a hand to the bottom of her leather jacket where the mark began, rubbing at the spot a little before she felt a hand on her shoulder. "I saw it…when I was tending to your wounds but I didn't think it was from something like that…Tifa." Tifa smiled sadly and put a hand to the ninja's that was on her shoulder, shaking her head at the apology for dragging it all up.

"You couldn't possibly have known Taki." Tifa replied, watching silently as Taki sat down once more on her right side. She didn't complain since she needed the physical presence of the woman if she wanted to continue her tale. "I nearly lost my childhood friend that day since he and Zack both went after Sephiroth. Zack was able to weaken the bastard but he was no match for him. He was pushed back no matter how hard he tried to fight against Sephiroth. From what I understand, it was my friend that essentially killed him the first time. Despite being impaled on his sword, he managed to swing Sephiroth over the edge and into a deep chasm that ran almost to the center of our world. Jenova would eventually be unleashed….but for the time being we were safe."

Taki sat in silence for several long minutes, trying to process the incredible yet tragic story. Tifa meanwhile stared intently into the flames, seeing her old friends and family's faces in the flames while Sephiroth cut them down if they were foolish enough to get anywhere near him. She was brought out of her dark thoughts however when she heard Taki asked her a question, one that brought a small smile to the martial artist's face. "What was your friend's name?"

"Cloud Strife." Taki chuckled at the answer, earning a puzzled look from Tifa. The ninja couldn't help but chuckle a little louder and Tifa found she couldn't help but chuckle a little as well although she still remained puzzled until Taki explained the reason behind her mirth.

"The way you said his name makes me wonder if he is more than a simple childhood friend." Tifa still smiled but shook her head slowly before she replied.

"Maybe…once upon a time I might have considered it, but as much as I like him I don't think I could ever start a family with him. Cloud is…Cloud, let's leave it that." Taki nodded and smiled, having a fair idea she knew what Tifa was hinting at.

"Very well Tifa. Are you able to continue do you think?" Finishing up the last of her small breakfast, Tifa nodded and dusted her hands off before putting the fire out with another of her Materia Orbs, this time a low level Ice spell hitting the wood pile at their feet. Taki still didn't like Tifa's magic but again she didn't say anything about it. "Then let us press on."

"Sounds good to me. I could do with actual civilization instead of this mountain path we're on." Tifa replied, having regained some of her former cheerful disposition as they continued onward. For the first hour of their journey onward, both of them had withdrawn into themselves, Taki to further examine and go over everything Tifa had explained to her while Tifa remembered happier days in Nibelheim and beyond until a question popped into her head.

"Hey Taki, how did you get mixed up in your own adventure?" Taki didn't stop but she did look over her shoulder to the woman behind her. She at first considered not saying anything since as before, she didn't want to risk too much information possibly reaching the wrong ears but Tifa had gained a measure of her trust and respect. Besides, as much as she preferred working alone, she understood the strength one could draw from trusted allies if the need ever arose.

And Tifa…she wasn't sure but she was starting to wonder if she was growing fond of the woman that tailed her through the mountain pass. No, it was far too soon to be entertaining such thoughts, and besides, having such a connection would not end well, especially if Tifa did manage to find a way back to her world one day. It would only end in heart ache for Taki. She would keep Tifa as a friend and nothing else.

_Keep telling yourself that Taki. _Sophitia's voice echoed through the ninja's mind in that gentle, compassionate tone that belonged only to her. Taki mentally sighed and knew from the fond stories that the Greek woman had shared with her during her stay in her home town that love, just as life, always found a way. No matter how she tried to rationalize it now, if love decided to bloom between them, there would be nothing either of them could do about it. "Taki, you alright up there?" Taki gasped quietly but nodded, glad Tifa had interrupted her thoughts when she had.

"Yes…I was just thinking on how best to begin was all." It was a partial truth but she still hoped that Tifa hadn't caught the way her voice had quivered all the same. "I was orphaned at a very young age. The continent of Japan has been in a constant state of unrest and political upheaval. The way of the sword is considered by many to be dying out with the recent introduction of black powder weaponry, where death can be meted out at a great distance instead of face to face, blade to blade as has been our way for eons. I was told that my family was simply caught in the crossfire of one of the battles that took place, which was rather common at the time so I have no way to refute the claim."

"But with recent trouble with your former master you've since started to doubt I'm guessing." Tifa replied, earning a nod from Taki before she continued on with her own story.

"Yes, but it matters little now anyway. Whether Toki and the Fu-Ma had something to do with their deaths or not, I would not be who I am today if not for them, so despite the fact that Toki is out for my blood, I still love him like the father he came to be for me over the years of my life with the clan. This all started, at least I noticed the change in Toki's personality, when one of our own ran away with his daughter and stole one of our precious weapons. Ninja are not allowed to leave the clan for any reason since we protect our secrets as fiercely as we protect each other, or would if the Fu-Ma hadn't been changed."

"Once a ninja, always a ninja huh? The same could be said of the SOLDIER program. Shinra didn't like SOLDIERs retiring and always kept an eye on their 'assets.'" Taki stopped then however and turned around to face Tifa. She realized too late that the comparison was not accurate since the angry glare in the ninja's eyes was all she needed to see to know she had spoken too quickly.

"We do not retire because our secrets could put innocent people at risk if our enemies were to get their hands on our techniques. We do it to protect those we try to help, not because we are monsters hiding underneath a human guise." Taki was quick to respond, but she calmed and looked at the snow covered ground between them before all but whispering her next words. "At least….it used to be that way, before Toki lost his mind to the demonic force that now controls him."

"I'm…sorry. Truly. I didn't mean to disrespect your friends and family." Tifa replied, and despite her anger and sorrow at having to butcher those same people that had once been brothers and sisters to her, Taki nodded since she didn't doubt the sincerity in her friend's words. "Fighting them can't be easy for you if you care about them that much."

"No…it's actually very easy since once they have become possessed, there is nothing that can be done for them. Only death releases them from their torment, otherwise they are forever damned to be a demon's puppet. It is a risk we all once knew and treated with the fear it deserved, but that didn't stop us from trying to fight them anyway. It was either that, or allow the monsters from the dark places to overrun humanity." Tifa could understand where Taki was coming from since she'd rather die than be under the control of some evil entity personally.

Quick to get Taki back on track, Tifa put a hand to the woman's shoulder and nodded for her to continue. "So what happened? You were sent after one of your own and then what?"

"Chie, and her father, Hachibei, I had come to know as two of my closest friends. Chie and I grew up together, trained together to some extent, but she wasn't the type to ever strike out against a foe. She learned enough to defend herself and that was it, being too gentle for our way of life, and most likely wouldn't have lasted long if she had ever been asked to go on a mission if not for the fact Hachibei once ruled the Fu-Ma alongside his former friend Toki. The fact I knew them so well was the first indicator something was wrong, and…there was something in Toki's eyes that also alarmed me when he told us to go after the two. It was the right action to take since if captured by an enemy clan, things could have gone very badly, but…I couldn't shake the feeling there was something wrong."

They had come to a small stream that ran down the side of the mountain, and despite being partially frozen over, there was still enough water going through that Taki was able to fill their water bags while Tifa looked around for anything that could pass as edible. There was nothing, but that didn't particularly surprise her since they were still pretty high up yet and vegetation was hard to come by save for the bare trees and bushes that were about.

"So, I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that you eventually found them and that you learned the truth." Tifa said in an effort to get Taki to continue, but once the story had been started, the ninja didn't need much prompting as they began on their road once more.

"Yes. I did find them, and I learned that the blade I had been sent after, Mekki-Maru, held enormous spiritual power, power that had been tainted by what I've since confirmed by the evil Soul Sword, Soul Edge. Being in the presence of the blade made Toki's madness worse, so I at first tried to hide the blade where no one would ever hope to get their hands on it, but necessity demanded that I take it with me, keep it mobile so that it'd be harder to get their hands on it. As for Chie and her father, I let them go and went back to the temple. I fabricated a story about how Chie, who had since fallen in love with a very powerful warrior, had killed Chie and Hachibei and had taken the sword for himself. It was when Toki ordered us to find the man, kill him, and get it back that I knew without a doubt that Hachibei's words had been true, and that Toki was no longer himself."

Tifa had been afraid to ask if Chie and her father still lived, but she was glad that they did, further confirming that Taki wasn't the wanted fugitive that was on the run for evils committed. She was a fugitive, but it wasn't because she was an evil person, but simply because her former master and foster father had lost his marbles, to put it one way. It wasn't his fault persay, but it still didn't sit well with the martial artist since she couldn't imagine having to fight someone that raised you as their own flesh and blood.

"I have been on the run ever since, having become what my clan considers nuke-nin, a rogue ninja, like Chie and Hachibei. Because of the evil power Mekki-Maru gives off, the demons affected by Toki's influence are able to track me wherever I go, even with the seal I've placed on the blade itself to try to contain the power it gives off. When we get to town, I think I'll try to use that piece of Soul Calibur you've provided and see if it can't somehow at least further contain the evil energy it gives off if not outright neutralize it. In the meantime, keep up your guard Tifa, I have a feeling we won't be alone for long." Taki warned, having a feeling that Toki's assassins were already on their tail. Geki, Toki's right hand man, still wanted revenge for his lost arm after all. It wouldn't surprise her in the least if he came out of the shadows any second now.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Oh well, wouldn't be the first time I've had to fight off crazed warriors." Taki couldn't suppress a small smile at Tifa's words as they came over a hill and finally got their first sight of a distant village, or at least the small oil lanterns that they used for such purposes anyway. They were still a long ways off, but at least their first of many destinations was in sight.

There was much more to Taki's tale than she had told Tifa so far, such as the fact that as long as Mekki-Maru and Soul Edge were tied together, Taki would never grow old. In a way, she was similar to Ivy, another of Soul Edge's victims in that sense, except Taki had willingly allowed herself to be tainted so that she could end the terror Soul Edge brought one way or the other. She was too strong to fall to its power as many others had, but the prospect of living for eons did not sit well with her when her will to continue started to fail. Still, as long as she didn't give up the fight, Taki knew she would prevail, either through her own hand or those of the few true friends she had.

It wasn't until they stepped into another clearing did Taki realize too late that they had walked right into a trap as two dozen assassins seemed to appear out of thin air. "Toki's men?" Tifa asked, her entire outfit glowing with the power of her Materia Orbs as she raised her hands up in a combat ready stance about the same time Taki let her hands fall to her twin kodachi blades.

"Yes, kill them all!" Taki replied as she grabbed a hold of Rekki-Maru's blade, the counterpart to Mekki-Maru, before the two warriors split apart; ready to tear Toki's assassins asunder.

Tifa had had a fair idea of what Taki was capable of, having hung around Yuffie, their personal ninja from Wutai, but she realized as soon as the battle started that Taki was in a league of all her own. She was incredibly fast on her feet and her blades seemed to appear in her dexterous hands as if they were always there to begin with before two enemies fell. Impaled on her matching kodachi blades, two of the ninja had had no chance to even pull their weapons before they fell. Using one as a shield by twisting around him like a snake, Taki blocked three poisonous blow darts with the dead man before tossing him aside like so much refuse.

Taki had only a few seconds to see her counterpart at work, but it was more than enough for her to realize that she was glad that Tifa was on her side as it became quickly apparent that she was far stronger and faster than she appeared. Grabbing one man by his face, the martial artist charged straight forward and slammed the man into a tree with enough force to shatter the tree like a toothpick. The tree in question wasn't a big tree, it wasn't a thick tree, but it was still a tree none the less and shouldn't have been so easily smashed by a normal person. The man between her and said tree wasn't going to be a problem, needless to say.

A dark spiritual blast was fired at Tifa's back, but she sensed it coming, turned on her heel, and swatted the attack aside with her fist as a blue shimmering shield of some kind appeared at the point of impact. The dark magic blast wasn't aimed haphazardly either as it found another target in one of the assassins' chest, splitting him apart as if a centralized explosion had hit him.

Four down in a matter of seconds, the eight that remained suddenly weren't so thrilled even with their demonic strength backing their every move as they took several steps back in hesitation. It wasn't until their leader yelled at them to grab a hold of their manhoods that they started to move to try to counter the two women's powerful opening attacks. By then the two warriors were among their ranks.

Tifa ducked under the ball and chain end of a kusarigama, grabbed the chain near where the ball was connected and pulled hard, sending the warrior on the other end flying forward where she used his forward momentum to clothesline him with her outstretched arm. Before he could get to his feet again, she had since stomped on his neck with enough force to completely snap the assassin's neck like a twig. "Tifa, watch out!"

Taki's warning was a second too late, but it was just in time as the throwing star aimed at her neck instead only found her right arm above the elbow. It still hurt a great deal as Tifa did her best to dodge several more, taking a second in her left knee, but the few ninja that remained had since ran out of throwing ammunition by then. "My turn!" Pulling the star out of her leg, the martial artist tossed it back, but it had since been infused with some of her considerable magical power.

When it struck the tree beside two of the remaining assassin, the shuriken exploded violently as her level three Fire magic detonated upon impact, completely consuming the two assassins where they stood as well as knocking the remaining warriors to their butts.

Taki had since killed three more in the time it took Tifa to immolate her two targets. One man had been foolish enough to charge the nuke-nin but a small explosion and a cloud smoke appeared where Taki had once been. The man didn't have the time to ponder where she had gone as she landed behind him, her kodachi blade sinking deep into his back while she impaled a second that had tried to get up behind her right in the stomach. Both men were dead long before they hit the dirt.

Flipping backward, Taki's lead foot clipped the third in the chin, staggering him for a moment before she proceeded to use him as a launch pad to reach an archer that had just set up his bow and was trying to draw a bead on Tifa's back. "Demon begone!" She shouted as she knocked him to the ground, burying her blades deep into his neck before rolling to her feet without ever losing her momentum.

Taki had disappeared once more while Tifa was holding off the three that remained. Having since pulled the star out of her arm, Tifa wished then that she had kept her Cure Materia from ages ago as she felt pain radiate out of her wounded limbs, but she pushed past them as best she could as she faced off against the last of the assassins sent against them. She could see only a shadowy blur moving through the trees and the snow, trusting the elusive ninja to set up the perfect opportunity for them to finish the group off, but in the meantime she had to hold her own.

She had the perfect idea despite facing off against two that wore katana like blades on their hips and a third that possessed a pair of wicked looking claws, the knuckles of which were covered in thick metal plates. _Reminds me of a few of my old weapons I used back in the day. I might take those. _Tifa thought to herself as she started to glow a bright golden color as a spectral clock face appeared underneath her feet. The 'hands' on the clock had started slow before speeding up rapidly. Grinning widely, Tifa's speed had been increased significantly, having used a Time altering Materia to help in the fight.

It wouldn't last long, but it'd last long enough as the two ninjato wielders tried to land a hit with their fast draw attacks, putting a samurai's quick draw technique to shame, but they hit nothing but air. Tifa however had since landed half dozen hits to their chest and stomachs with her powerful legs before slamming her heels into their necks in an elegant split spin in the space of ten seconds.

Hastega allowed her and a small party a speed boost of twenty seconds. She still had ten seconds left before she'd return to her normal speed, but even with her Time alteration she had cast, the clawed assassin in front of her actually proved capable of keeping up with her as she struck again and again. Her wounded limbs she realized were slowing her down and she had to back off when she took an almost lethal blow to her left side, three claw gouges having been torn into her body.

She couldn't get a proper defense set in time, but luckily she didn't have to as Taki rejoined the fray. "Hai!" Seeming to pass through the assassin's body, Tifa blinked and the next second, the man's head fell away from his neck while Taki caught her new friend's falling body, Tifa's legs having since becoming as useful as jelly.

"Thanks…Taki. What took you…so long?" Taki couldn't suppress a smile at Tifa's words as she helped the martial artist limp away from the bloody field. Putting pressure to her wounded side, Tifa was glad of the assistance despite how hard it was to walk.

"I just want to put some distance between the clearing and us, then we'll rest, I promise. As for why I took so long, that warrior I knocked down to get to the archer decided to give me some trouble." Taki explained, still amazed as to how strong Tifa had proven to be, and it showed on the woman's face as they continued to limp away slowly but surely. "I must admit, your use of your powers at first made me a little uneasy, but I can see now that it's a necessary part of who you are. You'd only be half as strong as you are without your Materia Orbs, but even without them you are an amazing fighter."

"Thanks…I don't feel so amazing right now, but…at least we're alive. Your clan members are damn tough. No wonder you're…so strong yourself Taki." Tifa replied, earning a sad smile from the ninja who supported her. Despite the pain she was in, Tifa had something on her mind that needed to come out before she passed out. "Now that I know what's at stake….I want to help you reclaim your family, your clan, Taki. If that means traveling…to the ends of this world, then so be it, but I wouldn't feel right leaving your side until your old friends and family are safe once more."

Taki didn't know what to say to Tifa's solemn vow to help her reclaim whatever remained of the Fu-Ma ninja clan since she was certain that not every single member had been lost to Toki's madness. Surely there were survivors out there that could help restore what had been tainted so far? If they could destroy Toki and the source of his madness, then they would have a chance perhaps to restore her clan to what they had once been before the darkness had consumed them. With Tifa's help, perhaps she finally had the chance she had been waiting for. "I…don't know what to say, Tifa. For so long I've worked alone, survived for years on the run from those I had once considered family. But…if you truly mean your words, then I will be honored to accept your aid."

With the setting sun at their back, Tifa and Taki forged an alliance that would see major change follow in their wake, provided they were successful.


End file.
